• The One and Only elephant parade Colouring Book
    book review - crafts - mindfulness - What I'm reading

    Adult colouring reinvented in postcard form

    May 10, 2016 - By 

    You all know how much I love my adult colouring books. I now have 2 shelves full of them from Orla Kiely to Vogue covers and everything in between. They are my favourite thing to pick up when I need some quiet time away from a screen. I’m always Instagram-ming my latest title and my only teeny tiny complaint is the size of them. I think my friends would tell you I’m a tiny bit impatient to fill in a hugely intricate design on an A4 sheet. Which is why I’m really enjoying the fact that the adult colouring book…

  • Queen's 90th birthday craft
    crafts - Crafts for kids - tutorial

    Queen’s 90th birthday sun catcher craft

    May 9, 2016 - By 

    We’re really enjoying crafting around the theme of the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. Both of the children are taking part in special tea parties at school this week and getting dressed up in red, white and blue clothes. We’ve carried on the fun at home with this special Queen’s 90th birthday sun catcher craft which we’re sharing today. Queen’s 90th birthday sun catcher craft We love sun catcher crafts as they are so quick and easy. We used a blank template of the Queen from iChild.co.uk, you need to create a free account to download it. Both children went over the outline…

  • mindfulness - parenting - sewing

    Monday happy list – week 85

    May 9, 2016 - By 

    It’s been such a busy week but as usual I’m happy to sit down and share the 5 things that have made me happy in the last 7 days. I started the week by buying a new car. It’s only my third ever car but definitely a step up from old, much-loved one. My new-to-me car has a (working!) radio, two sun roofs and central locking. I’m still getting used to it but it feels so good to have a decent car. I’ve made a real effort to catch up on some sewing projects this week which has been lovely.…

  • Sylvanian Families Fresian Cow family
    Friends of Sylvanian Families - parenting - playing - toy review

    Small world play with Sylvanian Families

    May 8, 2016 - By 

    Whenever I pop into my 4 year old’s nursery they always say how much she loves small world play. In fact she loves it so much they make a point of showing her other activities to make sure she gets the right balance of play. At home her favourite small world toys are her Sylvanian Families and she now has the most amazing collection. She has a range of buildings but she can often be found with the animals and their accessories. The recent warm weather has been perfect for small world play outside. We’ve been taking our Sylvanian Families outside…

  • MUL-logo
    days out - Local Review - London

    Meeting Marvel Universe Live Super Heroes at the Disney Store

    May 8, 2016 - By 

    If you have young children like me you’re probably aware of the characters from Marvel Universe. Both my children have their favourite characters so I was pretty excited to receive an invitation for the family to attend a special event at the Disney Store on Oxford Street for Marvel Universe LIVE! Super Heroes Assemble – the spectacular live action family arena show. This morning we headed off to the Disney Store to hear more about Marvel Universe Live and meet some of the performers from the show. The children had lots of questions and it was interesting hearing about the stunts…

  • Queen's 90th birthday cake
    baking - crafts

    A cake fit for a Queen

    May 7, 2016 - By 

    We’ve been having a lot of fun commemorating the Queen’s 90th birthday. We’ve been busy with some of our own crafts (you can find them listed below) and my 6 year old is taking part in a special tea party for the Queen’s birthday this week at school. He is always keen to carry on crafting at home so was excited to receive a bundle of resources from iChild to help celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. He loved looking through the educational resources we were sent. He carefully divided them into the activities he wanted to do and the others were put…

  • Bratz Remix Doll Asst FW 01
    family - parenting - toy review

    TweetABeat with Bratz Remix

    May 6, 2016 - By 

    I have two children who love music. We always have music streaming in one room or another or in the car, and the children are able to pick the music they want to listen to as they go to sleep at night. We all use one streaming system in the house which means the children have access to our musical tastes, and vice versa! So when we were asked if we wanted to take part in the new Bratz campaign it was an easy decision. My little 4 year old loves singing and I often hear her humming away when…

  • Easy felt flamingo badge
    crafts - die cutting - sewing - Sizzix crafts

    Easy felt flamingo badge

    May 6, 2016 - By 

    It’s time for my weekly post for the Sizzix blog. Last week I showed you how to use the new Funky Flamingo die to make flamingo drinking straws. I love the die so had to use it again to create an easy felt flamingo badge.   You can find the full tutorial over on the Sizzix blog. Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 3PK – Funky Flamingo (661246) You may be interested in my other Sizzix makes: DIY flamingo drinking straws Kid-friendly floral bracelet Simple dreamcatcher luminary Easy heart shaped wooden pegs DIY sandcastle flags My Little House gift box Easter treat bag tutorial…

  • There's a Dragon book
    book review - competition

    There’s A Dragon book giveaway

    May 5, 2016 - By 

    I have a lovely giveaway to share with you today. Publishing this month, There’s a Dragon In My Backpack! is the hilarious follow up to There’s A Dragon in My Dinner!, the new series starring eight-year-old Eric Crisp and Pan the Mini-Dragon by Tom Nicholls. Both tell the story of a mischievous 15cm tall mini-dragon called Pan, who accidentally finds himself in England and specifically in the house of Eric, a young school boy and Pan’s new best friend. The little dragon has an oversized appetite for adventure. In There’s a Dragon In My Backpack! Eric finally succumbs to Pan’s demands and agrees to…